Each has received a gift, use it...

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11

I cannot count the number of times I have come home from church or a church sponsored event just wishing and desiring to be more involved. Recently, I have felt like I am not doing as much as I could be (let alone should be) doing in order to serve my church and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. As I go to work every day, come home, work on a little bit of schoolwork, and waste the rest of the evening on selfish pleasures, I have recently been feeling very guilty, as if I am neglecting some work set before me.

Andrew Quigley, the pastor of the Airdrie Reformed Presbyterian Church in Scotland, gave a sermon on Haggai 1:5, where God tells His people to "consider your ways." I strongly recommend it to everyone because he shares a message we all need to hear (http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=3180795747). He shares a message that has been on my mind over and over and over ever since I heard it about a month ago. It's a simple message, and Peter revisits it here in 1 Peter 4:10. In Haggai, the people of God have a duty to fulfill and God reminds them that they must attend to it. That duty was the building of the Temple, but more importantly, attending to the worship of God and building His Kingdom. In 1 Peter, the people of God each have a gift to use and Peter reminds us to use it!

For my brothers and sisters at Springs Reformed Church, we are coming to a point in our "small" congregation's history where these two passages must dwell heavily upon our minds. As we begin to think about daughtering a new church plant in the Monument area, I think we should all consider our ways, and consider the good stewardship of our gifts. Right now, I congregation is blessed with many wonderful servants who faithfully attend to the needs of our congregation. We have our exceptional pastor who faithfully provides us with the reading and preaching of the Word of God. We have our precentors that guide our corporate worship with their musical prowess. We have our dear nursery attendants who serve the congregation by carrying for the little ones. We have our knowledgeable and blessed teachers who seek to faithfully teach our children and us during Sunday school. We have our technical support servants who serve every Sunday to provide audio so we can hear the Word preached, and listen to a wonderful sermon over and over on CD. We have our families that willingly and faithfully clean the church on a regular basis so that everything is clean and well attended to. We have our deacons who attend to the congregation's tithes, the administration of those funds, the upkeep up the building, and our safety. We have our elders who attend to the congregation's great need of leadership, government, discipline, and teaching. As you can see, and as we all know, it takes more than just a pastor to begin a new congregation. And we would all do well to consider our ways, seeking to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us as we venture to start a new congregation, and new tight-knit family of brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord.

At Springs Reformed, many of us have gotten very comfortable as members without obligations. We come and we go as we please, so to speak. We are not obligated by any duty. We come to church, worship God corporately with our brothers and sisters, pack our things up, and head off to a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon until we go back again in the evening. We do not attend to any of the church's needs, but only seek to take advantage of all of its benefits. This is not at all a bad thing, necessarily. We all participate in God's Kingdom in different capacities and because our congregation is blessed with so many faithful servants willing to attend to the needs of the church, many of us have found it comfortable not to be "needed." However, as the church will lose many influential members serving in great capacities and as a new church will require many influential members to serve in great necessities, I think it is very appropriate for all of us to consider what Peter has to say in this passage.

We all have received a gift. The key word is "all." It would be wrong for any member of the church to feel that they do not have some form of gift that they could use to serve God's Kingdom and His Church. Why? Why else but for the fact that Peter expressly solidifies the fact that we all do right here before us? There are three questions I think we should all be considering as we move forward with the church plant in regards to our gifts. 1) What is/are your spiritual gift/s? 2) How can you seek to serve others with your gift throughout and after the church daughtering? 3) Are you being a good steward within that capacity?

What is your spiritual gift? As previously noted, you cannot say I haven't one. Perhaps the best way to determine what your spiritual gift is would be to observe and record the needs of the church. What need does the church possess that you feel you could attend to? More often than not, answering this question will help you determine what gift/s you have. As I mentioned before, I have felt that I am neglecting to share one of my gifts. Being married, the head of my own household, and understanding that I now play a new role in the church and God's Kingdom. I have assumed more responsibility in my home, and I feel that I should assume greater responsibility in Kingdom building. Our church is blessed with so many faithful servants, that it is hard to feel needed. Although I can see myself serving in different capacities, I also see others who already serve in that capacity and find they do a much more adequate job than I ever could. I am sure that I am not the only one who has though this way. However, as members leave needed positions unfilled in order to attend to the needs of the new congregation, we should actively seek to participate and contribute to the needs we have observed, and seek to be as faithful as the member that held it previously.

How can you seek to serve others with you gift throughout and after the church daughtering? Could you help with Sunday school? Could you help with the nursery? Could you help greet at least one Lord's Day a month? Ask yourself these important questions. Think about all the work that goes on during a Lord's Day morning service. A deacon opens the building, making sure all is in good order and the building is ready for the gathering of God's people. A couple arrives early to begin the morning brew. A couple men arrive to set up the mics and the speakers for the pastor. A family arrives early, distributes a stack of bulletins and greets all those attending. A couple of people attend to the nursery, joyfully greeting each little one in attendance. A man (or Mann) greets everyone before the worship service, sharing helpful devotional practices, useful information, and pertinent events that are upcoming. The pastor leads everyone in the public worship of God Almighty. A precentor guides us through the singing of the Psalms. The deacons gather the tithes. The elders administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. The teachers prepare lessons and teach our children and ourselves after the worship service. Several people prepare tables, chairs, and meals for fellowship meals. Someone lists the birthdays, anniversaries, and introduces all the guests. Several people help clean up after the service and after the meals. A couple families take time out of their schedules to clean the church after the Lord's Day service each week. The list really goes on and on and on. Your gift, whatever it might be, is useful. It should not go unused or unneeded. It is necessary. And as Peter goes on to say, Use it!

And finally, are you being a good steward within that capacity? It is not enough to know what your gift is. It is not enough for you to see a need for your gift in the church. You must use it! You must be a good steward of the talents that the Lord has given you. You must seek to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ with your gift. Do not take the talent, see its potential and use within the church, and bury in the ground, keeping it to yourself. Invest you gifts in the kingdom! Use them, and use them wisely. Use them generously and not sparingly.

As we recognize the gifts we have, where they can be used in the church, and the opportunities that will soon be abounding to use them to server one another, I think we would do well to consider our ways. Yes, you could sit aside and wait for someone else to serve in the capacity that you have a gift to serve in, but is that good stewardship of the gifts that God has graced you with? Yes, you could see a need, find the need filled by another, and comfort yourself by thinking that you would serve but someone else is already serving in the capacity you would. How else can you use that gift to serve others within the church? It's relaxing and comfortable to attend a church that requires no obligation or service from you, but you have to ask how you are participating in building the Kingdom of God if you will not pick up a hammer and attend to the necessary work involved.

We are beginning a new work of church planting. It is a work, and there is a lot of work involved. Thankfully, the work is God's, and all growth of a new congregation and the fruit it bears is due to the grace of God. However, a congregation is not going to miraculously pop up in Monument. There is still hard work to be done, and we should continue to pray that God would bless our efforts to advance His Kingdom upon Monument Hill. As the work progresses, faithful servants will leave Springs Reformed and attend to serving the new congregation up north, so necessary positions within the church will open up. Similarly, a new congregation up north will have it's fair share of servants, but there can never be too many workers for the Kingdom. Pick up your hammer, use your gift, serve your brothers and sisters, and serve you Lord! Opportunities are always abounding, and there is no reason for any of us to be just attending members of Springs Reformed Church! Let us attend to the worship services, but let us also attend to the work ahead of us. Let us attend to the building of God's Kingdom! Let us attend to the work at hand! Let us serve according to the gifts graced to us by God!

We each have been given a gift, let's use it!